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Voter-Approved Children’s Fund Profile: Cincinnati, OH

Cincinnati Preschool Promise supports quality preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, increases wages for early childhood educators, and ensures that preschool instruction meets high standards.
Photo provided by Cincinnati Preschool Promise

Voter-Approved Children’s Fund Profile: Cincinnati, OH

Name of Fund: Cincinnati Preschool Promise

Percent of Locality’s Children in Poverty: 24.8%

Annual Revenue: $15 million (2024, most recent year available) 

Funding Mechanism: Property tax levy of 7.34 mills ($33 million to Cincinnati Public Schools and $15 million to Cincinnati Preschool Promise) 

Year Established: 2016 (reauthorized in 2020)

Percent of Voters Who Approved the Fund, 2016: 62.27%

Percent of Voters Who Approved the Fund, 2020: 69.61%

Expiration Date: 2026

Fund Purpose: Early childhood education

Worked with Children’s Funding Project

  • Children’s Funding Project community of practice member
  • Children’s Funding Institute attendee

Filed under:

Early Childhood, Advocates/Intermediaries, Policymakers/Agency Leaders, Publication, Voter-Approved Children’s Funds

QUICK LINKS

Fund History and Description

Fund Purpose and Impact

Governance and Administration

Relevant Links

More Resources

Updates and Events

Fund History and Description
Photo provided by Cincinnati Preschool Promise

In 2003, United Way of Greater Cincinnati launched Success by 6, a communitywide initiative aimed at preparing children from families with low income for kindergarten. A few years later, the Strive Partnership was formed as a supporting organization composed of local leaders focused on improving educational outcomes for children. Both initiatives led to increased data collection, philanthropic investment, and new educational support, however, significant gaps remained. At the time, more than half of Cincinnati’s children were not meeting kindergarten readiness standards, and not enough preschool seats were available to meet the growing demand. 

In response, the Strive Partnership and regional partners set goals in 2010 focused on education, health, and employment, including a commitment to providing universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. Inspired by Denver’s Preschool Program, Cincinnati Preschool Promise was established. In 2013, Success By 6, in coalition with other organizations, launched a three-year community organizing campaign to build support for sustained public investment in the program. The initiative gained backing from various sectors, including business leaders, faith communities, and young professionals.

On November 8, 2016, voters passed Issue 44, approving the Cincinnati Preschool Promise and Cincinnati Public Schools levy. The levy generates a total of $48 million annually, with $15 million allocated to Cincinnati Preschool Promise, which is divided for use in preschool expansion between the Cincinnati Preschool Promise community providers and the Cincinnati Public Schools. These funds support tuition assistance for 3- and 4-year-olds at more than 100 preschools, as well as quality improvement efforts and grants for early childhood educators. In 2020, the levy was renewed for another five years, receiving nearly 70% of the vote. The initiative will be on the ballot for renewal in November 2025. 

Fund Purpose and Impact

Cincinnati Preschool Promise’s mission is to ensure all families have access to high-quality preschool, providing Cincinnati children the opportunity to be prepared for kindergarten success. The program supports two years of quality preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, increases wages for early childhood educators, and ensures that preschool instruction meets high standards. The organization operates under its “ABC” principles:

  • Access to affordable preschool
  • Build strong provider partnerships
  • Contribute to an equitable early childhood system 

In fiscal year 2023-2024, Cincinnati Preschool Promise invested $6.5 million in tuition assistance, benefiting 2,112 preschoolers across 147 community providers and Cincinnati Public School sites. Data shows that receiving tuition assistance from Cincinnati Preschool Promise increased children’s likelihood of demonstrating kindergarten readiness by 30.5%. Additional highlights of Cincinnati Preschool Promise’s impact include the following:

  • 63–78% of children receiving tuition assistance during the levy cycle arrived at kindergarten ready to learn, according to results from the Ohio Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Revised tool.
  • As of 2025, more than 13,000 preschoolers had received tuition assistance, more than 1,700 new preschool seats had been created, and 676 providers had participated in quality improvement training. 
  • As of 2024, $1.6 million was invested in teacher recruitment and retention to strengthen the early childhood education workforce.
Governance and Administration

A master agreement between Cincinnati Public Schools, the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, and Cincinnati Preschool Promise (a nonprofit organization) provides for management of the funds. Cincinnati Public Schools is the fiscal and taxing agent responsible for levying the funds. The United Way of Greater Cincinnati oversees fund administration in partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools under the strategic direction of the Cincinnati Preschool Promise Board of Managers. Cincinnati Preschool Promise allocates funding for tuition assistance in both Cincinnati Public Schools and community provider classrooms and provides quality improvement services to community providers and grants for teachers. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Public Schools provides special education services.

 The Cincinnati Preschool Promise Board of Managers is responsible for oversight, accountability, and the equitable distribution of public funds. The board consists of 18 members. The United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati Public Schools, and Cincinnati Promise Forward each nominate five members. The Governance Committee nominates three additional members and the board officers. All board nominations are ratified by United Way of Greater Cincinnati. The board has five standing committees: Executive, Finance and Audit, Governance, Communications, and Cost of Quality.